Beyond manual closings: From document drudgery to strategic practice

It's 2 AM. You've just closed a multi-million-dollar deal, and instead of celebrating, you're staring at the mountain of documents, knowing you need to create yet another 500-page closing book. Sound familiar? 

One of the biggest challenges we face as lawyers is prioritization and time management. At any given point, we're juggling at least three to four different matters—all at different stages of the transaction lifecycle. But what really irks me is the senseless amount of manual work we put into closings. 

Let's be brutally honest about what our days really look like: We're drowning in signature page packets, wrestling with scattered email threads that multiply overnight, and updating the same trackers endlessly. These transactions aren't just complex—they consume hours that could be better spent on higher-value work. 

This is where iManage Closing Folders has changed my life. 

Signatures made easy 

To begin with, Closing Folders' signature page detection is a lifesaver. AI automatically finds and extracts signature blocks from your documents—no more manually scrolling through 100+ page agreements looking for signature pages (and yes, it detects signature blocks, dotted lines, and every other format you can think of, no matter where they are placed in the document—I tried every trick to fool it!).  

What used to take me an hour now takes seconds. Instead of sifting through numerous documents to find the signature pages, emailing them to the parties, having them sign with wet ink, then scanning and assembling the final document, this tool detects and notifies the respective signatory to sign using Docusign or even wet ink if they prefer, and it automatically collates everything.  

Simpler closing book creation 

But the real game-changer? The closing book creation. I used to spend entire days, sometimes weekends, building these massive closing books right after deals closed. You know how it goes: The ink on a successful multi-million-dollar deal is barely dry, you haven't even processed the win, and you're already three deals into your next challenge, with clients breathing down your neck for executed documents. And here's the kicker: more than half those hours don't even make it onto the bill. 

Now, Closing Folders automatically builds the entire closing book, complete with my templated cover page, logo, and index. Whether I pull documents from iManage Work or store them directly in Closing Folders, it creates a fully organized closing book or deal bible without any manual formatting or assembly. Zero manual effort, zero late nights formatting documents that should have been automated years ago. 

A better way to balance multiple tasks 

Additionally, instead of maintaining separate Excel sheets for bankers, auditors, internal teams, consultants, and opposing counsel, everything lives in one customizable checklist with real-time updates. Just thinking about maintaining separate checklists for weekly calls with all these parties is exhausting—but that's the reality of running complex transactions.  

Task assignment now takes seconds instead of hours, and version control is a thing of the past. Team members can update their sections in real time, so our calls focus on solving problems instead of reading through status updates. 

The template functionality will save you countless hours. When you're working multiple deals with the same client or handling similar transaction types, Closing Folders saves and adapts your templates automatically. No more digging through old files, no more "which version is the latest," no more starting from scratch for every single deal. 

What truly matters is that I oversee access permissions and their duration—all within my firm's security protocols because, let's face it, IT compliance and security are not optional in our world. 

Working faster, smarter, and safer 

This isn't just about efficiency; it's about changing the way I handle closings from top to bottom. The signature page detection, automatic closing book creation, and integrated tracking have freed up hours every week that I can now invest in the complex, meaningful work that truly requires my expertise instead of document assembly. 

Below, you'll find a quick demo showing exactly how Closing Folders creates closing trackers, detects signature pages, and generates closing books or deal bibles—all in the time it would take to find the right Excel template.

For a deeper dive into how Closing Folders is changing the way the industry carries out closings, reach out to us and schedule a personalized demo.